Annual gem show highlights local collectors' passions
Gemboree
Ken Oliver has been collecting rocks ever since he got a Rocks and Mineral Kit in fifth grade.
Now at 86, he has a collection of several hundred rocks and minerals. Some are glistening in display cases in his living room while others are stored in boxes.
“Rock collecting is very easy,” Mr. Oliver said, citing a joke. “You can pick it up as you go along.”
Mr. Oliver serves as an education ambassador for the Williamson County Gem and Mineral Society, a group of about 15 members who meet monthly and regularly participate in outreach activities.
The group’s annual Gemboree is coming up on February 14 and 15 in the San Gabriel Park community center. There will be 13 vendors selling items ranging from $3 to $1,500 for sale. There will be a silent auction, a raffle, and a grand door prize, Mr. Oliver said.
Mr. Oliver holds a bachelors and a masters degree in geology, and is now retired after a career in the oil industry. He’s traveled for work, and said he has collected rocks from all over, making for a heavy collection.
“The other day I saw a sign that said, ‘Never help a Geologist move.’ ” he joked.
While in Venezuela, he bought gold from a miner who was carrying it in a shoe box. One day, he and his wife wandered into a bodega and found uncut diamonds.
“We bought a couple diamonds, very small ones,” he said. “There were kids right next to us buying popsicles.”
Mr. Oliver said Gem and Mineral Society members work on connecting with the community throughout the year. Members often visit assisted living facilities to share their collections and talk about geology. Mr. Oliver also visits local elementary schools, bringing a selection of minerals for students to inspect and ask him questions.
Mr. Oliver highlighted some items in his collection.
A mysterious looking piece of mica — a clear mineral that appears to be glass or plastic — is often a point of conversation. Mr. Oliver explained big sheets of mica were used in windows before glass was invented. It is also sometimes used to make windows in pot belly stoves because it doesn’t melt.
On his table, he also has uncut graphite, which looks like a shiny grey rock. Its jagged sides can be used like a pencil— something kids find amusing. Mr. Oliver invites them to use it as a pencil on a spare sheet of paper.
Next to his rose quartz rock, he displays a bracelet made of rose quartz beads.
“An awful lot of girls want to know if they can take this home with them,” he said.
A small, velvet pouch holds two uncut rubies.
“This is one that I carry with me most of the time…”
Held in his palm, he made them glow using a UV flashlight. It’s a trick Mr. Oliver said he pulls at church parties.
He hasn’t had much experience making jewelry, but a couple years ago, he made 11 agate necklaces as Christmas gifts. He gifted them to his daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughter.
Every second Sunday, Mr. Oliver takes his microscope to meet with the Williamson County Gem and Mineral Society. Mr. Oliver said he couldn’t do what he does without them, and is very grateful for the community.
“We basically share with one another what we have [at the meetings],” he said. “People will show what they've got. Some will bring jewelry that they've made, and some will bring what they've collected and then we usually have, you know, business meetings to talk about things we have coming up.”
To learn more about the group or the Gemboree, visit www.wcgms.org. Gemboree tickets are $3 for those over the age of 13, $2 for kids 6 and older, and free for children under the age of 6.